LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan sets date for return to the club

Galaxy's all-time leading scorer to rejoin the club in late March

February 17, 2013

LA Galaxy Communications

LAGalaxy.com

CARSON, Calif. (Sunday, February 17, 2013) – The LA Galaxy announced today that forward Landon Donovan will rejoin the club in training during the final week of March. Donovan, who scored the game-winning goal in MLS Cup 2012 against the Houston Dynamo on December 1, requested an extended leave of absence following the club’s fourth MLS Cup championship.

“After a series of collaborative discussions between Landon, his representative and our key club leaders, we have agreed to allow Landon to remain on an extended leave of absence and return to training with the team during the final week of March,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “We understand this arrangement is not ideal, but we are confident it will allow Landon the time he needs to be both mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming season. We remain focused on our preparation for the start of the 2013 season and look forward to Landon rejoining us next month.”

The club’s all-time leader in goals, Donovan has spent the last eight seasons with the Galaxy, scoring 92 times while adding 79 assists in 194 regular season games. One of two players in league history with 100 career goals and 100 career assists, the 30-year-old ranks third in MLS history with 124 goals and fourth with 108 assists during his 12-year MLS career. The all-time leader in MLS postseason goals with 22, Donovan has won five MLS Cup championships since 2001, including three with the Galaxy in 2005, 2011 and 2012. In addition to captaining the Galaxy to back-to-back MLS Cup titles, Donovan has scored a record 49 goals in 144 appearances with the U.S. National Team. A veteran of three FIFA World Cups, Donovan is 20 caps shy of Cobi Jones’ U.S. record of 164 international appearances.

The Galaxy will return to training at 10 a.m. on Monday morning at The Home Depot Center. Players and coaches will be available for interviews following the completion of that session.